African American Family Names

Before you get offended at the way these lists are arranged, hear me out. Harry Stilson’s notations were of his time. In other words, he identified some of the African American people in his photographs by adding the term “col” after their names so I think we can assume everyone with that term in their description is an African American.  I used his designation of race to create two different lists of names to make searching for family names a little easier.

Dr. & Mrs. Riggler (at Hartshorn College)

Joe Carter

Lewis Adams

Sue Coleman colored head cook

Mrs. Susie Smith

Mrs. Charity (Cornelium)

John Taylor & wife 602 Elizabeth St (Sparrow’s)

Mrs. Loise Baxley

Ben Rose

Dr. Geo W White

Mrs. Taylor

Mrs. Watson (her Bessie)

Briggs & Stevens

Collens , Henrico St

Walter Graham

Lila Graham 2202 Henrico

Danny Robinson

Mr. Ford

Hartshorn College drill team

Alonzo Waller as “Spider”

Lucille Brown with Elk head on

Lucretia Gee, Bowe, Elk dress

Frank Pryor & mother

Jany Charity

Robinette Anderson

Mrs. Watson

People to Identify

Harry Stilson kept meticulous records of his photography work. He wrote down names, dates and places as well as exposure settings and time for thousands of images. Sometimes he wrote details in wallet-sized journals, sometimes on pads of paper only slightly longer than a matchbook and barely as wide.

Transcription of the journals resulted in a list of 600 names of people as well as where and when they posed for Harry's camera. A small percentage of pictures or negatives were found in envelopes bearing the names of the subjects involved. However, most of the photographs in the Stilson collection of people  were  unlabeled so matching his journal notes with pictures is challenging, if not impossible.

When an article about his collection appeared in the Richmond Times Dispatch, several people called to identify people and places in photographs accompanying the piece.  One of Richmond In Sight's objectives is to identify Harry's photo subjects and to capture family stories from their descendants so we decided to repeat the process on the website.

In the columns on either side of this page are many of the names of people Harry photographed. In the gallery below are some photographs of people yet to be identified. If you can match names to faces or provide information to identify people in this collection, we need your help. Please look through the gallery or the list of names and use the contact form to let us know what you know.

The images presented online are not the original image Harry took but are revised, cropped and altered versions to focus better on the subjects and to establish the  copyright for each online derivative work in the name of Richmond In Sight. Any use of these images in a commercial venture without the expressed written permission of Richmond In Sight is prohibited by law.

Hover your curser over the photograph and press the Play button to start slideshow.

Jewish Family Names

This list is also not as I would like it but it may be helpful in identifying folks.
These names did not have the term "col" after them. They were listed as Jewish or were described as being residents of Jackson Ward, Carver, Newtowne or other neighborhoods with a large concentration of Jewish families.

It may help to know that Harry Stilson wrote and presented a speech titled “The Tinted Population” in 1907 in which he  argued that different races and ethnic backgrounds produced a stronger population. He was a ‘man of his time’ but...not. Go figure.

Mrs. Goldman

Mrs. Cantor

Mrs. Shocket & boy

Mrs. Senf (owned store at Norton & Clay)

Sidney Cohen

Abe Shocket

Shurrick & wife store at Fairfield & 17th

Miss Ida Oakley Jewess Fairfield St

Valentine (think Gertie Valentine, mentioned with children later)

Grough or Trough, Dineen & Leigh

Mrs. Shocket in door Dineen & Leigh

Goldfin

Gertie Valentine & brother

Molly Hacherman or Hackerman

Valentine’s daughter Thelma son Robert

Willie & Sadie Alberton with baby boy

Mrs. Stone

Jack Schull

Cohen boy

Little Lena Shull

Kaufman

Miss Elsie Myers

Sherman, Jew

Howard Shaw

Harmis Pohles

Stokes 1928 W Leigh